Saliva ejector



A. M. LA RICHE SALIVA EJECTOR June 18, 1935.

Original Filed 0st. 5, 1951' INVENTOR Anthmgr M LaRich/e Z 6/ m ATTOR Patented June 18, 1935 UNIT STATES sAL IvA EJEo'roR Anthony M. La Riche, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Detroit Dental Manufacturing (70., Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application October 5, 1931, Serial No. 566,928

Renewed January 30, 1935 I 10 Claims. (-01. e2 3s) This invention relates to saliva ejectors and has as one of its objects the provision of a combined guard and rest for a saliva ejector mouthpiece which is arranged to aiiord a greater degree 6 of comfort than has heretofore been possible in the use of such devices.

A further object of this invention is the pro: vision of a saliva ejector mouthpiece with means to collect and direct saliva to the suction openings of the siphon of the ejector, which means are further effective as a guard for preventing the tissues of the mouth from coming into contact with the suction openings of the siphon.

Stated in general terms, my invention consists in the provision of a shallow trough-like member which is arranged to be adjustably secured to the end of the siphon tube of a saliva ejector. This member is shaped so as to follow the contour of that portion of the mouth upon which it is adapted to rest, whereby it serves as a guard for the suction openings provided in the end of g the siphon tube and at the same time serves to collect and direct saliva to such openings. The member also provides a comfortable support or rest for the siphon by reason of its shape and adjustability.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in some of its embodiments in the accompanying drawing and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a saliva ejector mouthpiece illustrative of one embodiment of this invention; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of device shown in Figure 1 with the parts thereof rotated ninety degrees from the position shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevational View, partly in section, of a modified form of saliva ejector mouthpiece; Figure 5 is a plan view of the guard member used in connection with the siphon shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, of another modified form of saliva ejector mouthpiece; and Figure '7 is a plan view of the guard member used in connection with the siphon shown in Figure 6.

I am aware that the provision of a guard for the end of the siphon of a saliva ejector mouthpiece is per se old and my invention consists in the provision of a new and improved guard which effectively guards the suction openings of the siphon, and which further provides a comfortable rest for the ejector and at the same time serves to collect and direct saliva to the suction openings of the siphon.

My invention is arranged for use in conjunction with the conventional goose neck siphon of the type indicated by the numeral 5 in the drawing and which is usually formed from a section 01 glass or metal tubing. In the arrangement shown, in Figure 1, the tubing of the goose neck is provided with a threaded end portion 2- for the adjustable and removable receptionof a centrally boredfitting 3 which is provided with a pair of laterally arranged outlets i communicating with the central bore of the fitting. A shield in-the form or" ashallow trough-like guard memher or rest plate 5 is secured to the bottom of the fitting. The member 5 is provided with a plurality of holes 5 arranged to assist in the collection of saliva, which by reason of the shape of the member 5 is directed and flows to the side openings d of the fitting 3 from which it is withdrawn by way of the siphon tube 5.

The member 5 is formed so as to correspond to the shape of that portion of the mouth upon which it is intended to rest, so that in comparison with the conventional ejector it aiiords a greater degree of comfort to the patient and at the same time it eliminates the contact between the suction holes of the siphon and the tissues of the mouth, thus avoiding the clogging of the holes and the resultant unpleasant numbness of the tissues.

In the modified form of device shown in Figures 4 and5, the siphon tube '5 terminates in a perforated sphere 8 which forms an integral part of the tube. This form of saliva ejector mouthpiece now enjoys a rather widespread use among dentists, and I have provided for use in connection with this form of mouthpiece a combined guard and rest comprising a member 9 of substantially the same shape as the member 5 shown in connection with Figure 1. The member 9 has a plurality of openings H] for the purpose or" collecting saliva which it directs to the openings I 5 formed in the end of the siphon tube. v

In the form of device shown in Figures 4 and 5, the guard member 9 is provided with a pair of resilient clamping members i2 which are arranged to engage the spherical end ii of the tube '8 so as to provide a swivel connection between the member Q and the siphon tube 1. is form of guard may be readily removed from the end of siphon tube for cleaning and other purposes and provides a generally simplified and inexpensive iorm of device for the purpose stated.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Figures 6 and'l, the siphon tube I3 is provided with an internally threaded end M which is arranged to detachably and removably receive a hollow spherical member E5. The member 55 formsone element of a ball and socket joint, the other element: of which is provided by the hollow perforated spherical member I5, the perforations IQ of which provide suction openings for communication with the suction tube l3 of the device. The member l5 has secured to it a guard and rest it of substantially the same shape as the corresponding members shown in Figures 3 and. 5. The guard 18 is provided with a plurality of holes I! which assist in the collection of saliva. The guard member l6 and the spherical member l5 are secured to each other by means of a pin l8. The ball and socket joint just described provides a swiveled connectionbetween the guard and the siphon tube l3, so that the guard may assume its proper position when in use. In the use of the ejector mouthpiece shownin Figure 1, the member 3 would be unscrewed one or two turns so that the guard could be readily rotated to assume the desired position.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a simple and inexpensive saliva ejector mouthpiece which is comfortable to use and which in addition to providing a guard for the suction openings of the siphon tube further serves to collect and direct saliva to such openings. The utility of the device is further enhanced by reason of the ease with which it may be adjusted or taken apart for cleaning or other purposes.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular forms of apparatus shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth, are presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and that various modifications of said apparatus and procedure can be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a saliva ejector for use in dental work, a siphon having a spherical end with a suction opening formed therein, a guard for the suction opening of said siphon, and a snap-fastener for removably securing said guard in swiveled relation on the spherical end of said siphon, one of the cooperating elements of said snap-fastener being carried by said guard and the other cooperating element of said snap-fastener being provided by the spherical end of said siphon, the external surface of said spherical end acting as a bearing for the cooperating element carrier by the guard.

2. In a saliva ejector for use in dental work, a siphon having a downwardly directed end with a suction opening formed therein, and a removable guard for the suction opening of said siphon, said guard having resilient members integrally formed therewith for detachably gripping the sides of the end of said siphon and forming a snap-fastener therewith.

3. In a saliva ejector for use in dental work, a siphon having a downwardly directed spherical end with a suction opening formed therein, and a removable guard for the suction opening of said siphon, said guard having resilient members integrally formed therewith for detachably gripping the sides of the spherical end of said siphon and forming a snap-fastener and swiveled joint therewith.

4. In a saliva ejector for use in dental work, a siphon having a downwardly directed spherical end with one or more suction openings formed therein, and a rest plate swiveled thereto in a substantially horizontal position to guard the openings of said siphon andto assist in the collection and direction of saliva thereto, the spherical end of said siphon cooperating with parts carried by said rest plate for providing a ball and socket joint between said siphon and rest plate.

5. A saliva ejector mouthpiece including a tube having an annular radially displaced surface near its inlet end, a shield, and resilient members on the shield adapted to be sprung into engagement with the displaced surface of said tube and to 'removably and movably support said shield in coupled relation to said tube.

6. A saliva ejector mouthpiece comprising a tube having an annular radially displaced surface near its inlet end, a shield, and resilient extensions on said shield adapted to be sprung over the end of said tube and engage the displaced surface thereof to couple the tube and shield together.

'7. A saliva ejector mouthpiece including a tube of general goose-neck formation, having an annular radially displaced surface in the form of a surface of revolution generated about the tube axis by a curved line, such line having a substantial radius of curvature at least as great as that of the radius of said tube, a shield of greater width than the cross-sectional dimension of said tube, and extensions on the shield adapted to be sprung over the end of said tube and engage the displaced surface thereof so that said shield has universal movement on the end of said tube.

8. In a saliva ejector for use in dental work, a siphon tube having a downwardly directed end with a suction opening formed therein, the sides of said tube having an annular longitudinally curved portion extending around the tube at a point adjacent to the end thereof, and a com bined guard and rest plate for the end of said tube having resilient members for detachably gripping the aforesaid portion of said tube and forming a snap-fastener therewith.

9. A saliva ejector mouthpiece for use in dental work comprising, a siphon tube with a suction opening and a rest plate movably mounted upon the end of said tube in a substantially horizontal position to guard the opening of the tube and to assist in the collection and direction of the saliva thereto, and cooperating means provided in part by said tube and in part by said rest plate to form a rocking connection therebetween, said cooperating means including an annular offset part formed in the tube adjacent to the end thereof and members carried by said rest plate loosely engaging the annular offset part of said tube whereby the rest plate may readily tilt with respect to the axis of the tube in accommodating itself to the surface upon which it is resting.

10. A saliva ejector mouthpiece for use in dental work comprising, a siphon tube with a suction opening and a rest plate movably mounted upon the end of said tube in a substantially horizontal position to guard the opening of the tube and to assist in the collection and direction of thesaliva thereto, and'cooperating means provided in part by said tube and in part by said rest plate to form a swivel connection therebetween where by the rest plate is free to rock laterally of the tube axis and also to rotate relatively of the tube about the axis thereof, said cooperating means including an annular offset part formed in the tube adjacent to the end thereof and members carried by said rest plate loosely engaging the annular offset part of said tube.

' ANTHONY M. LA RICHE. 

